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El-Ghazali – a Royal Monastery in Northern Sudan?

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El-Ghazali – a Royal Monastery in Northern Sudan? SUDAN & NUBIA Ar-Ramal (Monneret de Villard 1935) El-Ghazali – a royal monastery Qasr el-Wizz (Obłuski 2016; forth. a; forth. b; Scanlon 1970; 1972; 1974) in Northern Sudan? Toshka East (Kolotod) (Weigall 1907), (under Kolotod, Artur Obłuski Monneret de Villard 1935), (Simpson 1963) Faras (hermitage) (Griffith 1927; Monneret de Villard 1935; The article presents results of research on Nubian monasti- Pietschmann 1899; Sayce 1898; SBKopt. II, 90; van der cism with a focus on the monastery of el-Ghazali, located Vliet 2017; Weston 1894, vol. 3, 78) in Wadi Abu Dom in the Bayuda Desert. It begins with a Geziret Matuga (Clarke 1912; Monneret de Villard 1935) 2 short introduction to Nubian monasticism and goes on to Akasha (Anderson 1999; Mills 1965) summarise results of the recent excavations at el-Ghazali. Ukma (21-N-7, -9) (Anderson 1999; Mills 1965) Intensive excavations at el-Ghazali and the study of Nubian Kulb (21-R-3) (Dinkler 1970; 1985) monasticism were possible thanks to generous funding from Kulubnarti (21-S-10) (Adams 2011; Anderson 1999) the Qatar Sudan Archaeological Project and from the Na- El-Ugal (Wadi Abu Zeit) (Welsby 2001) tional Science Centre, Poland.1 Old Dongola – Kom H (Jakobielski and Scholz 2001), and Kom D (Dobrowolski 1987; 1991; Jakobielski 1991; Jeute Nubian Monasticism 1994) Three types of monasticism are attested in Nubia: anchoritic Ez-Zuma (hermitage) (Lepsius 1849; Monneret de Villard (an individual hermit), laurae (a group of hermits forming 1935; Wilkinson 1849) a community that meets on a regular basis, for instance for Sunday Mass), and coenobitic (a communal monastery). There are two soundly confirmed hermitages in Nubia: the so-called an- chorite dwelling in Faras and the hermitage in ez- Zuma. Two tentatively suggested ones are located at Toshka East and in the Wadi Allaqi (Firth 1927; Monneret de Villard 1935). Several small, walled enclosures in the region of Batn el-Hajar – like Akasha (21-N-11), Kulb (21-R-3), Kulubnarti (21- S-10) and Ukma (21-N-7, -9) were laura-like com- munities, according to an idea originally proposed by Julie Anderson (Anderson 1999). They could have housed up to seven monks living in separate rooms and they lacked communal spaces such as dormitories or refectories. The most spectacular are Nubian coenobitic monasteries like those at Qasr el-Wizz and el-Ghazali. The latter was an enclosed complex densely filled with structures constructed using a variety of materials: mud and baked bricks, rubble, and well-dressed sandstone blocks. Only two monasteries, Qasr el-Wizz near Faras and el-Ghazali, have been fully excavated so far; two others, the suburban monasteries of Old Dongola located on Kom H and Kom D, are under excavation. Several tens of sites in Nubia have been tentatively identified as monasteries over the last century and a half. However, surveys and excavations have confirmed the presence of monastic remains only in the following locations (Figure 1): Nag esh-Sheima (Bietak and Schwarz 1987; 1998) Figure 1. Map of securely identified Nubian monasteries (drawing: S. Maślak). 1 QSAP A.36, Ghazali Archaeological Site Presentation Project and 2 I would like to thank David Edwards who drew my attention to this National Science Centre, grant no. 2014/13/D/HS3/03829, Monasti- enclosure and shared records of James Knudstad’s excavations there cism in the peripheries of the Byzantine world. with me. 155 El-Ghazali (Shinnie and Chittick 1961), (Ciesielska et al. 2017; Monastery of Apa Dioskoros (unpublished material from Obłuski et al. 2015; Obłuski and Ochała 2016; Obłuski Qasr el-Wizz monastery) et al. 2018) Nubian monasticism in general was linked to Egypt, the According to the medieval historian Abū al-Makārim, cradle of this movement, by means of religious confession, churches and monasteries in Nubia were plentiful. For the spiritualism and organization, yet the Nubians took their own southernmost kingdom of Alwa only, he quotes 400 churches. path, as is clear, for example, from the spatial organization The figures given by him could be just a topos in a description of coenobitic monasteries. The earliest known, and secure of Christian countries and they were definitely exaggerated, evidence for monasteries can be dated to the second half of but still the number of churches must have been consider- the 7th century, about 100 years after the official conversion of able if it drew his attention. He passed to us the names of the Nubian kingdoms. These are the tombstone of Joseph, a six monasteries: bishop of Syene who died in 668 and was buried in the church of the monastery on Kom H (Gazda 2005; Jakobielski and Safanūf (Abū-l-Makārim in Vantini 1975) van der Vliet 2011) and a series of radiocarbon dates obtained Monastery of Michael (Mikā’il) and Quzmā (Abū-l-Makārim from the monastery of el-Ghazali. The end of monasticism in Vantini 1975) in Nubia is correlated with a considerable weakening of cen- Dairā (Abū-l-Makārim in Vantini 1975) tral and regional authorities and impoverishment of Nubian Saint Sinuthius (Abū-l-Makārim in Vantini 1975) society due to instability and frequent Mamluk invasions at Abū Jarās (Abū-l-Makārim in Vantini 1975) the end of the 13th century. Ansūn in Tafa (Abū-l-Makārim in Vantini 1975) None of these monasteries have ever been paired with The monastery at el-Ghazali particular locations in Nubia or with archaeological sites. The monastery of el-Ghazali was an important site of inter- The largest number of monasteries is attested in epigraphic est already at a very early period of Nubian studies. The site sources. was visited by famous 19th-century travelers, such as Linant Monastery of Pashshe (Qasr Ibrim, epitaph, 12, Greek, I. QI de Bellefonds (Linant de Bellefonds 1958), Richard Lepsius 20, l. 11, cat. no. 653) (Lepsius 1853), who took from the site 10 tombstones now Monastery of Poukō (Qasr Ibrim, epitaph, 11, Greek, I. QI stored in the Berlin Museum, Sir John Gardner Wilkinson 22, l. 10, cat. no. 77) (Wilkinson 1848-9; 1849), and Pierre Trémaux (Trémaux Monastery of Raphaēl (Qasr Ibrim, epitaph, 12, Greek, I. QI 1854; 1862). Each of them drew at least a sketch of the mon- 20, l. 10, cat. no. 653– Qasr Ibrim, epitaph, 12, Greek, I. astery and the North Church. These drawings do not seem QI 21, l. 13, cat. no. 654) to have been done at the site, or if they were the draftsmen Monastery of [.]enganarti (I. Khartoum Greek 15, pl. 14) let their imagination run wild. They are not in agreement Monastery of Eittde (ⲉⲓⲧⲧⲇⲏ) (I. Khartoum Copt. 27, pl. 20) with each other, and based on the still preserved architectural remains we can easily reject some of the details drawn in the Monastery of Maria (in) Timaeie (ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ ⲧⲓⲙⲁⲉⲓⲉ) (I. Varsovie th 110, pl. 11) 19 century. The illustrations showing the greatest attention Monastery of Maurage (ⲡⲙⲟⲛⲁⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲟⲛ [...] ⲙⲁⲩⲣⲁⲅⲏ) (SB- to detail and the ones closest to reality are those of Pierre Kopt. 1, 719) Trémaux. For instance, he was the only one who drew the vault ribs. Great Monastery of Anthony (ⲁⲛⲧ ⲙⲉⲅ): l. 6; (ⲟ ⲙⲉⲅⲁⲥ ⲁⲛ’ⲧ’): Peter Shinnie and Neville Chittick carried out the first l. 14 (Łajtar 2002) Monastery of the Holy Trinity (ⲧⲣⲓⲁⲥ ⲁⲅⲓⲁⲥ) ll. 13–14 (Łajtar excavations at the site in 1953 and 1954 (Shinnie and Chit- 2002) tick 1961). They excavated the monastic church and several (Monastery of) Apa [---] (ⲁⲡⲁ[---]): l. 10 (I. QI 39, fig. on rooms: the refectory, water storage facility, and two rooms p. 149) next to the entrance to the monastery. The Polish Centre of Monastery of Jesus (in) Tillarti (ⲓ̄ⲥ̄ ⲧ̄ⲗ̄ⲗⲁⲣⲧ): l. 8 (I. Fitz. 110) Mediterranean Archaeology and the National Corporation Monastery of Pot( ) (ⲙⲟⲛⲁⲥⲧⲏⲣⲓⲱⲛ ⲡⲟⲧ): l. 1 (Łajtar and for Antiquities and Museums re-launched studies on the Pluskota 2001) monastery in the framework of a joint expedition in 2012 (Monastery) of Michael (ⲙⲓⲭⲁⲏⲗ): l. ? (Łajtar 1992; Łajtar and initiated a site presentation project. and Pluskota 2001) In the following section of the article, I attempt a recon- (Monastery) of Maria in Pachoras (ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ ⲡⲁⲭ): l. 1 (I. Faras struction of monastic life and address several questions: Copt., 117–18, fig. 31; I. Faras Greek 43, fig. 30) what languages the monks used, what was the spiritual and Monastery of Four Living Creatures in Pachoras (ⲡⲁⲣⲁ ⲍⲱⲁ̇): everyday life at the monastery like, what and where did they ll. 3–4 (unpublished; in preparation by V. Laisney) eat, where did they sleep, and ultimately how were they buried. (Monastery of) Danionyjer (ⲇⲁⲛ̣ⲓⲟⳡ̣ⳝⲉⲣ): l. 3 (Łajtar 2003) Languages used at the monastery Monastery of Apa Dios (unpublished material from Qasr The monastery of el-Ghazali functioned in a complex lin- el-Wizz monastery) guistic environment. The most commonly attested written 156 SUDAN & NUBIA language was Coptic, but the spoken language was vernacular Old Nubian. A potsherd with the Coptic alphabet written on it proves that education in this language was conducted at the monastery (Plate 1). Plate 1. A school exercise on a coarseware sherd, el-Ghazali. Tens of epitaphs were written in Coptic (Obłuski et al. 2018). Thanks to work done mostly by Jacques van der Vliet and Adam Łajtar (I. Khartoum Copt.; I. Khartoum Greek), Plate 2. Tombstone of Marianos it was possible to identify in them some elements common to Egyptian monastic communities and to Egyptian culture the Old Nubian ending – ⲟⲩ (I. Khartoum Greek). in general. Parallels can be traced in funerary formulae, and The most abundant epigraphic finds are inscriptions on also in paleographic features. For instance, in some of the pottery vessels.
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